Do antibodtics prevent catching colds or prevent spreading them to others?

Antibiotics do nothing for colds. Antibiotics only affect bacteria, and colds are from a virus. Antibiotics do not work at all in treating the common cold. A net designed to trap a human could let a tiny mouse escape. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria, not viruses. Many antibiotics work by disrupting the bacteria's cell wall. Viruses don't even have a cell wall. Antibiotics can actually make colds worse. By indiscriminately killing the beneficial bacteria, an environment more hospitable to the cold viruses is created.

Antibiotics are soooo over prescribed!! If you have a virus they won't do ANYTHING to help you. It just causes them to be less effective as the bugs learn to adapt to them and become a new strain. You should only take them if you have a SERIOUS infection. If you have a cold just let it run it's course. It builds up your immune system. The back up for my answers... I'm a nurse.

No antibiotics r of no use for treating cold. Cold r normally due 2 an allergic reaction. For allergy, antiallergic drugs r more effective. Common antiallergic drug is Cetrizine. How antibiotics prevent catching colds or prevent spreading them 2 others. Causative organisms in colds r viruses so how antibacterial drugs can prevent it. Bacteria r very large n viruses r very minuete. Their structure is different n their strain varies. For example Influenza Virus hav 200 strains n changes every year so every year new vaccine has 2 b prepared against d current strain. Did u get me...

Do you want to know why there are so many diseases resistant to antibiotics, and why I personally watch people dying on a daily basis due to these "bugs". It's because of the indiscriminant use of antibiotics that makes the bugs stronger. You think "I'll just take some penicillin (or whatever you can get your hands on), that's left over from that strep throat I had. It's in the medicine cabinet, I'll take that and feel better. Antibiotics do not work that way. Different antibiotics kill different bugs. You need to take them to maintain a certain level in your blood system. It's sort of like going to war. If you have an army of 10,000, what good does it do to send in 1000 one day, 300, the next, 800 the following, and so on. You're gonna' get creamed. Anyways, many times you take the abx the wrong way, the bugs get stronger, and develop an "immunity" to the medicine. Don't play around with antibiotics, pretty soon this world will have no medicine left that the bacteria can't beat. By the way, for the cold, just drink plenty of fluids and use it as a good excuse to get some rest. There's no way to prevent a cold, no matter how good your immune system is. We eat, we breathe, we poop, and we catch colds.

.A common misconception is that antibiotics prevent colds. They don't. Antibiotics have no affect on viruses.

it does not prevent cold atacking u.. but if the attack is severe it cures and contains the secondary infections.... anti biotics certainly does not help prevent others getting the infection....there r more than 200 types of bacteria through which you get cold in your life time.... in the initial stages of the cold Zinc tablets may help contain the cold attacks.....

First, let's assume it's a cold due to bacterial, not viral infection. Second, lets consider that you are taking an antibiotic (amoxicillin for example). It will have no effect on viruses, only bacterial infections. Further, amoxicillin is only effective for certain bacterial infections, not ALL of them. That is why there are many different antibiotics. As far as spreading the cold, yes, it can help as the bacteria that you spread may be weaker due to the antibiotics activity. However, an immunocompromised person could still be very succeptible to the weaker organism. As far as catching a new cold, if you are introduced to another organism that is vulnerable to amoxicillin, then the amoxicillin in your system would likely quickly defeat the new organism. If you are introduced to an organism that is not affected by amoxicillin, then you can get a new could and would need a new antibiotic to fight the new organism.

Neither is correct-colds are caused by viruses and viruses are not treated or cured with anitbiotics-antibiotics are to treat bacterial infections. there is nothing to cure viruses-you can only treat the symptoms of a virus-such as fever or aches, runny noses. you can take OTC meds to relieve the symptoms but nothing prevents colds or prevents them from spreading. My microbiology book is my source. i am taking classes for my RN degree.

Only anti-VIRAL medications would have any effect on a cold. Antibiotics are for bacterial infections and are USELESS on a cold because a cold is a VIRAL infection. Taking anti-biotics for a cold is one of the reasons that bacteria are becoming resistant to the current crop of antibiotics. Stop doing this immediately, and tell all of your friends that they should stop doing it too. Better to wash your hands frequently, get plenty of rest, eat right, sleep right, and take vitamins to bolster the body's own immune system. Colds are caused by viruses - antibiotics are useless against them.